Visitor Guide pdf download (12.9mb) - Rhondda Cynon Taf

The Old Bridge, Pontypridd
The bridge was completed in 1756, after three failed
attempts. Its builder, William Edwards, first constructed a
three-arched bridge, but this was swept away by a flood.
He next attempted a single-span bridge, but the timber
supports used during construction were also swept away by
the river in flood. His third attempt collapsed under its own
weight. His fourth, the present bridge, has three cylindrical
holes each side to reduce the weight of the stonework. With
a span of 140 feet Edwards’ bridge was hailed as the first
in Europe to exceed the span of the Rialto in Venice.